Three Men From Afghanistan
by Basic Cadet
Summary: Captain Price, "Soap" Mactavish and Nikolai escaped General Shepherd's men after they killed him in Site Hotel Bravo in Afghanistan. But Soap is badly wounded and Captain Price is beaten up during the fight against the general. And instead of going to India they go to a place that will be going to need their expertise in a coming war and a great journey.
1. An Uncertain Escape

Chapter 1: An Uncertain Escape

Captain John Price, Captain John "Soap" Mactavish and their pilot, Nikolai was flying in their MH-6 "Little-Bird" helicopter after killing General Shepherd some miles off Site Hotel Bravo. However Soap was seriously wounded after he was stabbed in the chest by General and Price was seriously beaten up by Shepherd also after their last bout.

"Nikolai how far is that place that you're talking about? Soap is bleeding badly. We have to treat him there quick."

Asked Price who was sitting beside Nikolai in the cockpit of the helicopter

"Far enough to escape Shepherd's men Captain. It would be safe enough for Captain Mactavish to be treated there it's in India."

Answered Nikolai, but just then a blinding light and a boom was heard by the three and they had some very bad headaches.

"This can't be. What is happening? Captain Price we have a problem! Were lost, look! We're not in the desert anymore."

Yelled Nikolai who was checking his instrument panel for anomalies in the chopper and he glanced at Price who was staring ahead. He heard him reply

"I guess we are not going to India Nikolai… I guess we are on some place that we should not be in. And what tongue are we speaking?"

"I don't know Captain Price we have to get aid for Soap If we could find any. Wait I see a building there on the valley."

Replied Nikolai, he began to slow down and lower the altitude of the Little Bird to avoid detection.

"Captain Price we have to land and get someone to treat Soap's wound He is bleeding gravely."

Said Nikolai, Price agreed with a nod so Nikolai carefully landed the helicopter down in a clearing in the woods not far from the buildings. Price stepped out of the chopper as if one who was drunk and checked Soap's condition which is getting worse. Nikolai got out of the Little Bird to assist him. Price looked around for anyone to ask for assistance but no one was there so Price took of his hat he always wore and said to Nikolai.

"I am going to look for assistance Nikolai, take care of Soap and try to stop the bleeding as much as you could."

Then Captain Price started to walk towards the direction of the building because of the pain he received in the event earlier and General Shepherd's punches in his face. With a sigh of worry Nikolai drew his M9 pistol in his vest over his flight suit and loaded it in precaution and with the best of abilities tried to treat Captain Mactavish while waiting for Captain Price. He already took of Soap's combat vest and started applying bandages in his wound in addition of the first aid Captain Price did a while ago. Soap was now losing consciousness because of his stab wound and the ache in his head he just grumbled,

"My wound hurts and so is my head. Hey Nikolai, where's Price?"

Nikolai just replied,

"Off to get help Captain Mactavish. Don't move too much, stay with me. Wait I see someone but where's Captain Price?"

Nikolai drew his M9 from his holster and shouted to the strangers, two strange looking men who are quite alike,

"Who are you? We have wounded man we need your help!"

The stranger responded

"I am Elladan and here is my brother Elrohir. We saw your other companion lying unconscious so we helped him first. Fear not. Here in the house of our father Elrond you and your companions will be safe if you are not servants of the Dark Lord."

Nikolai just said as he holstered his M9,

"Yes we are not serving some person you said we are just strangers here. Now help me with this man he lost too much blood and he might die if no one treated him."

With that the two brothers helped carry Captain Mactavish to safety. Nikolai then asked as he hurried along them,

"Where are we if I may ask?"

"You are in Imladris, Rivendell in the common tongue, The Last Homely House East of the Sea."


	2. Out of Danger, Out of Place

Chapter 2: Out of Danger, Out Of Place

Captain Price woke up and found himself lying in a bed.

"How many years have passed since I slept in a comfortable bed?"

He thought, he turned his head and saw Soap snoring in another bed next to him.

"Morning Captain Price, Soap's out of danger now. The folk here helped us and are really good at healing. I watched them take care of Captain Mactavish and one of them really knew a lot about healing… I'm not sure if he is a doctor here."

Greeted Nikolai before munching a loaf of bread. He woke a few minutes earlier and took some time trying to get his bearings at Rivendell while Price and Soap were asleep. And now he have to answer Price's questions.

"Nikolai, where are we?"

"We are in a place called Rivendell Captain Price."

"And who treated us?"

"Someone with the name Elrond, Captain. He seem to be the head of this place and is quite powerful."

"You armed Nikolai?"

"Yes Captain Price."

Replied Nikolai as he slightly showed his M9. Priced was still unarmed and now he sat up and ate his breakfast and planned to walk back to the landing site of the chopper to take a sidearm for himself and for Soap when a knock was heard.

"Enter"

said Nikolai as he placed his M9 pistol on a table.

The door opened and then a woman entered, a very fair woman dressed in white came and introduced herself,

"I am Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond. My father is inviting you to come to his hall by evening. He is going to introduce you as his guests. I also wish to know your names."

"I am Captain John Price"

"Nikolai"

said the pilot who couldn't stop looking at her.

"And the man who is asleep is named John Mactavish. Since we have the same first names use our last names."

Added Price. After that she left in a courtesy

A few moments later Price asked Nikolai to watch over Soap before he left for his sidearm. He have to make sure that he was armed and so is Soap for security reasons and to check if their helicopter was still in good condition. So off he walked from their room and went outside. He was still in his combat uniform that he wore in Site Hotel Bravo. As he walked the folk around there was puzzled because of his appearance: His black combat jacket, ammo pouches, Khaki combat pants, combat boots, and most of all his hat that he still wore. Price also was surprised to see them: Fair men and women, strange clothing and their surprised looks at him. So he straightened his posture and walked in his military officer manner until he reached the "Little Bird" helicopter. He looked for two hand guns and three magazines for each and he found his M1911 and Soap's USP 45. He also took a couple of combat knives and two boxes of Villa Clara tobaccos and a box of cigarettes for Nikolai. After that He waked back to their room to give their weapons and stuff, amid of looking like strangers out of nowhere.

"At least we are out of danger now."

muttered Price as He entered their room.


	3. Easy Now

Chapter 3: Easy Now

Price entered their room carrying a couple of handguns, magazines, and their cigars and cigarettes when Soap finally woke up. He felt for his wound and was surprised that it was not bleeding anymore. He looked around and found Price standing at the door with a M1911 45 and an USP 45 pistol. Soap sat up and said,

"What's going on Price? Did we run in to a trap?"

"Negative Soap, we need these guns as precautionary measures. Besides Nikolai has one. And wear your jacket, can't go in a formal dinner with only a bloody shirt on, literally. We are needed tonight. Ready up in five minutes and act as formal as you could and Nikolai…"

Snapped Price as he holstered his M1911,

"This is not some dinner where you could go chasing girls on your fashion. Not in here, I feel that these folk are very different than ours. And we should not get drunk, copy?"

"Copy that Captain Price."

Answered Soap and Nikolai together. Price then handed out their tobacco and cigarettes. Nikolai than smiled and felt for his lighter at his pocket but there are none so he asked Price.

"Do you have a lighter Captain Price?"

"None… We can't smoke now. I already wanted to smoke also. I guess there's one on the chopper."

Replied Price. He checked his watch and it is already evening moments later a knock was heard and Price opened the door and a man came in and introduced himself,

"The three of you are invited tonight and I will guide you there."

Price agreed and so they walked out of their room following man. As they walked Soap managed to ask,

"What day is it today if I may ask?"

"It is the 18th of August of the 3019th year of the third age of Middle-Earth."

"Thank you Erestor, we lost track of time when we got here."

After that they were silent again. Finally they entered a great hall and there gathered a number of folk living there and Price quickly noticed one small figure: He was barefoot and has woolly feet dressed in a more modern clothing like those of what his grandparents wore in the old times thought the captain. they were gestured to take a seat at a great table and they sat down and they were introduced by the person that sat at a special seat at the end of the table.

"Greetings Captain John Price, Captain John Mactavish, and Nikolai."

"My name is Elrond, the lord of Rivendell"

After that Price, Soap, and Nikolai were introduced to the other persons present at the hall. They met lords, ladies, and finally they met the small man and his name was Bilbo Baggins. A feast followed and it was welcome development for the three for they never ate or drank that much for years. Captain Price had a chat with Baggins and later knew that the folk around them were elves and Bilbo introduced himself as a hobbit. Price and his companions finally had some "intel" about Rivendell that in the elven tongue was called Imladris and the folk that lived there. After the feast only the three men were left and the lord of Imladris. And Elrond asked them,

"The appearance of your raiment are very strange, and I have been told that you came from a metal flying object that I saw yesterday after there was a flash of light and and a sound like thunder coming from the north."

Price replied in his miltary manner,

"You may not believe this but yes that metal object was a vehicle called helicopter that we rode to get here. Well we are not really from here, We are from Afghanistan."

"Afghanistan? And how did you get here?"

Asked the elf lord. So Price told Elrond an in depth account of their adventures with Task Force 141 from Russia to Afghanistan, from the boneyard where they were betrayed by General Shepherd to their escape after Soap killed him with a knife in his eye.

Elrond then told them,

"From what you told me, the three of you seemed to soldiers and had led men in battle. You always heeded your call of duty but this time may I ask your leave to stay here in Rivendell for the months to come. We will need men of your kind in a quest that the fate of Middle-Earth relies in but I cannot tell more about it now there will be a right time for it to be told and things will be made clear in that time."

Price, Soap, and Nikolai pondered at these words. After a while they finally agreed.

"Lord Elrond, we agree. We will assist in this mission it looks like this is a way to thank you for saving our lives and to help others. And we still do not know how to return from where we came from."

With that Elrond thanked them gave them leave to go to their rooms and rest.


	4. The Task-Force and the Fellowship

Chapter 4: The Ring Bearer,The Council,The Fellowship And The Task Force

It was October 24 and Captain John Price, Captain John Mactavish, and Nikolai were sitting in the great hall where Elrond introduced them a couple of months ago. They found that the people inside were increased and there were other visitors than them: they saw three younger hobbits that knew Bilbo according to their chatter, dwarves, a man which the hobbits call "Strider", elves, The daughter of Elrond, and a very old man in gray which Bilbo told them was a wizard named Gandalf. The three men were observing the scene and they especially observed "Strider". The man went to them and said,

"Foreign men in Imladris are a rare sight. Did you come here for Lord Elrond's counsel?"

Price replied,

"No were not, we came here two months ago by accident and the lord of this place bade us to stay here for some reason that he can't tell. It is about some very delicate situation that he says need men like us."

"What are you?"

"We are soldiers I am Captain John Price, these men are Captain John Mactavish and Nikolai. And call us by our last names"

Price said as he pointed the two men beside him. Then Strider introduced himself,

"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, I am the captain of the Rangers of the North."

"It is good to meet you Aragorn. Why do those hobbits call you Strider?"

"That is what I was called at Bree."

Their chat was cut short and Aragorn have to leave them when someone arrived: it was a hobbit and he was hailed by his companions and he was introduced as Frodo Baggins. And a feast is held to honor him and his friends for their safe passage to Rivendell. They later knew through Aragorn that he went with the four hobbits and he told that they were chased by black riders and Frodo was stabbed by one of the riders that endangered his life and their rescue by the elf lord Glorfindel. The three men just ate quietly and then they decided to leave and get some sleep But as they were walking, they were met by the four young hobbits and one said to them,

"You must be the men that old Bilbo was talking about, I am Frodo Baggins by the way and these are my relatives Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took and my servant Samwise Gamgee."

"Well I am Captain John Price"

"Captain John Mactavish"

"Nikolai"

They shook hands and when they invited them to come to the Hall of Fire but Mactavish just replied to them as he yawned,

"No thank you lads. Listening to these elves making beautiful music and telling stories is splendid for the likes of you, but not for us... Listening to them makes us quite drowsy and its already getting late so goodnight to you."

Soap ended with another yawn and they went on their own destinations to spend the night.

The next day, the men woke up very early. Captain Price looked at his watch and it was 0500 they got up and readied themselves... To patrol Rivendell. The thought of the Black Riders made them quite uncertain of their place though Aragorn reminded them that Imladris has powerful folk living it but they take no chances. Besides this time of the day is a good time to get some exercise which they regularly did during their stay there. So as they made their round at the entrance they saw a man: He was exhausted and his clothes looked like he walked very far yet he seemed to be soldier of old times and he seemed to be looking for Imladris so Price, Soap and Nikolai approached him and said

"You seemed to be very weary friend, did you get here on foot?"

"Aye for I lost my horse when i forded the river so I have to walk. Is this Imladris?"

"Yes and look there are the elves, they'll help you out. It is good to meet you Sir, I am Captain John Price, and they are Captain John Mactavish and Nikolai"

"I am Boromir, son of Denethor the Steward of Gondor. At last I am in Imladris. It is good to meet you too Captain."

With that Boromir left them as he was assisted by the elves.

"Well let's move on, and have some breakfast."

Declared Price. The three headed back to their room and took their breakfast. The three were still bored so they took a stroll round Imladris and they noticed that more folk were coming in from different places so they decided to walk back to the house and that is when they heard a bell and afterwards they were now sitting in the porch with an assortment of people:men, elves, dwarves and Frodo Baggins. The mood of the meeting was serious. It seemed to Captain Price and Captain Mactavish that something very important was going to be discussed and so they listened very intently to gain intel.

Elrond introduced each of every one of them to those present and so he started and others told their tales about the growing trouble abroad. It was like listening news at a radio first thought Price. Then the topic changed in what seemed to be very important to them. It was about a ring. Price narrowed his eyes because of his surprise at it when it was shown by Frodo to the council. Mactavish glanced at it and looked at Frodo and thought,

"That ring is a WMD? How?"

And the discussion continued and the three knew afterwards of Aragorn's identity and job.

And the council continued on how the ring got into Frodo's hands which came from his uncle, Bilbo from a journey long ago. The discussion then turned to the rings of power and who owned them and what they did and afterwards after another series of personal accounts about a creature named Gollum and his escape, the betrayal of the Gray wizard, Gandalf and his get away from Isengard to Rivendell. Then later to the surprise of the three, Frodo volunteered to go to Mordor to destroy the ring.

Another two months have passed and Elrond now chose the companions that will go with Frodo Baggins to Mordor which were: Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, his two cousins Merry and Pippin and his servant Sam, a dwarf named Gimli, an elf named Legolas who came from Mirkwood, Boromir of Gondor and they were the Fellowship of the Ring. At length Elrond came to them and said,

"Now is the time that we will need men like you. You shall join the fellowship and help them in your own way."

"Will the company let us join them?"

inquired Price.

"Yes we would, three soldiers is a good addition to the Company Captain."

Said Gandalf. So the three men went back to the Mh-6 helicopter to get their gear: 30 kilos of supplies like food, water, winter jackets, spare ammo, spare clothes and other supplies that they needed including cigars, cigarettes, binoculars, tac-lights and three compasses which Nikolai stashed in their three bags when he left Afghanistan and they put on their combat uniforms they wore at Site Hotel Bravo but Nikolai was still in his flight suit but now he wore a bullet-proof vest. For their weapons, Nikolai brought two M4A1s with M203 grenade launchers and forty double magazines and five spare magazines for each rifle and 12 M203 grenade rounds for each M4 and Nikolai had an AK-47 rifle with a GP25 grenade launcher and with the same amount ammo with that of Price and Soap. Their handguns had 15 magazines for each of them. The three of them also took combat knives including the one that Soap tried to use against General Sheperd before he was stabbed. Their bullets were all Full Metal Jacket rounds because they were the most powerful ammo he could find in their safe-house back in Afghanistan. After they loaded their bags on their backs they went back to the Company. With a great blow of Boromir's Horn the and a reminder from Elrond the Company and the Task Force Left to begin their greatest mission.


	5. A Lost Realm and Mountains

Chapter 5: A Lost Realm And Mountains

The Journey of the company had begun. And they travelled on foot. They were led by Gandalf and Aragorn and they seem to know a lot about the land. After walking for many days the company now reached Hollin, which Gandalf told them was inhabited by elves long ago. The wizard then declared their main route to their destination but in the meantime they will rest at Hollin for a day. Price, Mactavish and Nikolai quickly settled down and joined a meal with the company. As they ate their companions then asked them questions of their curiosity of the three strangers starting with Peregrin asking Captain Price.

"Well sir, Gandalf told us that the three of you were soldiers. Your appearances were very strange, and Lord Elrond said that you came from another land named Afghanistan. Err… what are those objects that were hanging on your backs?"

"This?"

Answered Price as he pulled his M4A1 and shown it to the company.

"Yes sir."

Answered Pippin. The other hobbits came and they were joined by Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli for they too were curious about these men.

Price then said as he displayed it to them,

"Here is a gun, a Colt M4A1 Rifle with an M203 Grenade Launcher. It has thirty rounds or bullets, could fire full automatic and semi-auto with an effective range of 550 yards."

"That is an impressive weapon Captain Price, But I see no blade or shaft in it but only holes one small and the other quite large. So how does it kill?"

Asked Gimli who was interested in the weapon.

So Price did a weapons demonstration of the rifle on how it worked and also did a disassembly of it and then Legolas then said with wonder as he looked at the dismantled rifle,

"Your weapon is broken Captain, Could you have another one?"

"No I just disassembled it now I am going to put it back again."

So Price started to assemble the rifle and talked about its importance in maintaining those kinds of weapons. So after he finished his demonstration. The company sat amazed and Boromir said to him before he and the other companions decided to sleep,

"It was a good weapon Captain Price, may it show its usefulness in combat soon I am glad that we have men who have powerful weapons."

Price just nodded. Soap and Nikolai came to him and said,

"Nice weapons demonstration Captain, they look very eager to know about us and our stuff. But I hope that they would trust us."

They looked around and saw Aragorn and Sam taking the watch so they started to take a short nap. Then something happened Aragorn quickly hissed to Sam to lie flat and still and hearing this the three took cover quickly gripping their rifles but they saw that they were only large crows but they still stayed in their hiding place and when they have passed out of sight they got out and asked themselves,

"What are those crows?"

Later they knew that were crebain and the place that they were staying were being watched, so they have to move by night. The company now started their journey again. And they now have to climb the mountains and go to pass named Cradhras to reach the other side so by the advice of Boromir they took faggot for making a fire and they set out again. Hours later they had already climbed a part of the mountain but afterwards Aragorn said that they were still far and the a storm was on them. The company tried to move and it was very laborious. Mactavish remembered his mission with Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson in Kazakhstan where they had to climb cliffs and and infiltrate a base to recover the ACS module in the middle of a snowstorm. But this storm was far too harsh for the company and even for Nikolai who was used in the very cold conditions. So unexpectedly the company halted and took shelter in a cliff wall. They were all freezing and even Frodo had to be roused by Boromir. So Gandalf gave them a mouthful of a cordial called miruvor. After they drank they now started to light a fire and it was very hard to light up by their means so Price approached and took out his lighter and said,

"Alright, Ill help you, I've got this lighter and lets see if it works."

So Price set to work with his lighter the company watched as he tried to light the wood but every time his lighter had a flame he tried to ignite the wood but it was useless because of the wet fuel. So Price resigned and put the lighter back in his pocket. Then Gandalf picked a faggot and said something that made it ignite. So the Company enjoyed the fire but it was for a short while and there are more snow to pour down so they decided to retreat down the mountain so they moved again but the storm brewed up again as they moved and they have to make a path so Aragorn and Boromir toiled to make one Price, Soap and Nikolai also joined them to assist them if they could and provide them covering fire with their rifles in case of enemy presence. Aragorn and Boromir worked on the path with only their arms and legs then Legolas sped by to find the sun which confused the three. After the five men returned Aragorn carried Merry and Boromir carried Pippin. The two men returned to carry the last two hobbits. At last they got down and were out of the mountains. Price looked at the mountain and muttered,

"Well that was close. I hope that Gandalf has a plan B. "

And the company went down again for another path.


	6. The First Shots

Chapter 6: The First Shots

It was evening and the Company now made another meeting on which path will they take after the attempt on Caradhras was compromised. Gandalf now spoke about a different path and that it is more dangerous than the earlier road. Another path was suggested by Boromir but it was refused for it will take more time. Later the company still have not decided to take the road to Moria. The Price, Soap, were still listening to the council and found out that Moria was once a great underground city that was inhabited by dwarves but now it was empty and were creeping with orcs or some unnamed danger that made the place it's ill repute. Now the company agreed that they will decide tomorrow. Just as when they were getting prepared to sleep. The company were alerted by the howling of wolves. They now moved out to take a defensive position on a hill. As the Company drew their weapons, they noticed that Captain Price, Captain Mactavish, and Nikolai only wielded their handguns. Legolas voiced the thoughts of their companions as he glanced at their small weapons by the question:

"How are you going to kill those wargs with only those?"

Nikolai glanced backed at the elf with an answer as he took aim,

"Just watch…"

After a few moments after the first wolf appeared a huge number of them now attacked the company and for the first time the company witnessed the shooting of firearms which. Nikolai, Mactavish and Price were accurately shooting head-shots the wargs with their pistols for they often attack them head-on and they became easy targets for the men. Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli and Gandalf also did much of the fight with swords, bows, and Gimli's axe while the hobbits stood at near the fire watching the men shoot their weapons which created a sound each time it fired and it reminded them of Gandalf's fireworks back in the fighting finally ended with Gandalf lighting their hill with fire. Morning finally came and seeing that the wolves had retreated Captain Price lowered his M1911 and reloaded it. Soap and Nikolai also reloaded their USP .45 and M9 and they were praised by Legolas,

"You were good shooters with those weapons. Are those the same that you had shown us earlier?"

Price answered,

"Yes, these weapons are called pistols, used for short range shooting. And they could be concealed and carried around without no one noticing. And it could be fired in one hand with the risk of hitting your mark."

With that, Price tucked his pistol at his trousers for he had no straps or belt for his holster. Gandalf remarked at them,

"We just had the right men for this quest, we still have a long way to go and many battles might yet lie before us. We will go to Moria."

Mactavish then asked,

"When are we going to Moria sir?"

"Later, but eat quickly for now we shall depart and reach the gate."

After they ate the Company now marched again to gate of Moria.


	7. Moria

Chapter 6: Moria

Captain Price, Captain Mactavish and Nikolai stood staring at the wall of the cliff. Their companions were already unloading their baggage from their pony while Gandalf was looking for the door. Gandalf then revealed that he found the door and it illuminated with a silver light. Mactavish then remarked,

"Now we found the door, could we get inside now?"

"Not yet, we have to speak the password to make the door open, Captain."

said Gimli

"It says "Speak, friend, and enter," so you have to say something to make the door open."

So the company waited at Gandalf who is attempting to open the door. Minutes have passed and still the door is not yet open so Price, Soap and Nikolai, then pulled their rifles at their backs and started loading their grenade launchers and stood at a distance at the door and aimed their grenade launchers at it then Price, said aloud,

"If that door won't open we will blow it up then."

"Those doors wont open even if you used powerful weapons at it."

replied the wizard who was still thinking of the opening words.

The men lowered their rifles and stood there watching the wizard speak words that they do not know what it meant. Finally Gandalf stood up and said "Mellon" and the door opened. Nikolai then asked as he watched,

"Melon? what kind of word is that is that? It was a kind of fruit from where we came from."

"It is not "melon" but "Mellon" it is the elvish word for friend, master Nikolai."

corrected Legolas. The company then prepared to move into the mine when tentacles grabbed Baggins in the leg. The company now ran to the mine and after a few moments, they were now trapped in the mine because of the tentacles that destroyed the door. Nikolai quickly rummaged his pockets and placed a tactical flashlight at his AK 47. Price and Mactavish also attached their flash lights on their rifles when Gandalf lifted his staff and led the way.

The journey on the mine was long and there were no threats encountered though they were on heightened alert because of the result of Pippin throwing a stone in a pit. The company now arrived in a chamber after spending a night in a huge hall which was according to Gimli, was a great Dwarf city that was now deserted. The chamber was lit by a shaft with the light of the sky. And the company found out that it was a tomb of Bilbo Baggin's friend, Balin. Price, Mactavish and Nikolai and the rest of the company listened to Gandalf as he read a book that documented the events of the place which ended in badly. The company took the book when they heard drums and voices.

"We got company!"

shouted Mactavish as he ran back from the corridor. After Gandalf had looked at the door he reported that there were orcs and trolls. The three men were were confused and Mactavish asked,

"Orcs? What are they? And are they armed?"

"These are foul creatures and were armed with scimitars captain."

Answered Boromir.

"Seems like we are going to use more firepower here."

muttered Nikolai as he and his two companions loaded their rifles.

The Company now had to defend the hall and wedged the corridor. A troll was now breaching the door Boromir and Frodo attacked the troll breaching the door and finally closed it again but the door was breached and orcs now poured in packed together.

"Open Fire!"

yelled Price and he and Nikolai and Mactavish sprayed bullets at the orcs killing thirty of them. The Company now fought the orcs to clear their way to an exit when Frodo was Stabbed by an orc but he was still alive. Now the Company retreated through the eastern door but Gandalf stayed behind for a while but he came back to them to continue the retreat. Unfortunately the orcs are following behind and something else was also pursuing them. The Company now have to cross a narrow bridge and that is when they saw the other thing following them. The three men aimed their rifles at it regardless of its size. Boromir challenged the Balrog which was the name of the monster with his horn. But Gandalf told them to cross the bridge. After reaching the other side the company watched Gandalf as he faced the Balrog. Aragorn and Boromir now ran back to help the wizard when the bridge broke and the Balrog fell but it took Gandalf with it and He just yelled

"Fly, you fools!"

Aragorn now led the company and Price, Nikolai, and Mactavish provided covering fire as they ran in the rear with Boromir. The company now ran to the gates and finally they were out of Moria. Price swore under his breath as he panted and said

"That was close... Too bloody close for Gandalf."


	8. Another Territory

Chapter 8: Another Territory

The Company still mourned for the loss of Gandalf. And now Aragorn have to lead the company and continue the journey. After moving away from the mine they now halted to treat Frodo and Sam who were hurt during the fight. Aragorn now planned to go to Lothlorien which was the close to their location. Later the company proceeded the journey to Lothlorien.

The night later, Legolas now announced that they were now close to Lothlorien but they have to spend the night in the woods. As precaution the two captains and the pilot lit their taclights and were on the lookout for hostiles though Aragorn told them it is safe yet they still were very vigilant. The taclights and their assault rifles however roused the inquisitiveness about their three strange companions. This time Boromir first asked Nikolai about their fight at the mines,

"Master Nikolai, how could your weapons slay so many orcs by just pointing your weapons at them?"

"We don't point them, we aim and then we pull the trigger and then they're dead if you aim well and the bullet hits your target."

Nikolai responded. The three men followed the company as they continued to walk to Lothlorien. Later the Company decided to spend the night on top of a nearby tree. Legolas first climbed the tree but he retreated to the surface saying that there were people in it. Nikolai, Price, and Mactavish quickly switched off their taclights in order not to be discovered. The three took cover in a nearby tree but Aragorn noticed them and later said,

"They are elves and they already noticed us. We have to wait here for a while."

Price and the other two came out and waited at the foot of the tree. Finally the rest of the company were allowed to climb. Price emerged at the top of the tree with Mactavish and Nikolai behind him. They had another supper and this time, Price managed to ask one of the elves,

"Is it safe to spend the night here? We had a fight not far from here and our foes may come to this spot ."

"It is safe here and it is likely that orcs will come but we watch this place and you are near the city of Lothlorien."

"Alright."

The company spent the night on the tree and resumed the journey to Lothlorien in the morning. The Price, Soap and Nikolai were on the rear with their rifles lowered they were on full alert for any hostile activity in the forest. The Company now have to cross a stream by only using ropes and the three agreed to cross last so that they could provide covering fire if the Company comes under threat. Nikolai was the last to cross the stream and said,

"Just like the training I did back then."

Mactavish replied,

"Not bad, that was quick."

The company however, could not yet continue. One of the elves who were with them required Gimli to be blindfolded as a security measure which made the dwarf angry and made the elves aim their bows at him. Price and Mactavish quickly drew and pistols had it aimed at the two elves's heads who doesnt seem to notice them as they were aiming their weapons at the dwarf who had his axe drawn. Aragorn was surprised at what the three men did : Price and Mactavish had their pistols aimed at the accompanying elves and Nikolai had his AK 47 at his hands and faced the stream looking for the elf that was mentioned to be on the other side by Haldir. Aragorn convinced the elves to blindfold The whole company and when the elves agreed Price and Mactavish holstered their pistols silently and Nikolai shouldered his rifle and they allowed the elves to blindfold them. And the company continued to travel towards Lothlorien and their blindfolds where removed when they arrived at the place called Cerin Amroth Price, Soap, and Nikolai sat and looked at each other and had a whispered conversation and Boromir and Aragorn joined them and had one topic: the pointing of a gun on the Elves's heads.

"It takes guts for a man to aim a weapon to an elf. Especially in the land of Lorien."

said Aragorn,

Boromir added,

"If you shot one of them we will be in great peril."

Mactavish answered as he reached for his canteen,

"Well one of our comrades are in danger and we outnumber them and they did not see us so we took the opportunity to turn the tables."

"There are many elves guarding this forest aside to those who went with us Captain Mactavish. And they are difficult to spot and if one of their kind is slain in their territory we may pay dearly."

Nikolai lit a cigarrete and asked,

"Did the elves saw us pointing our guns at them?"

"Nay, Master Nikolai the elves did not see you."

Answered Boromir,

"Very well, then let us forget it and tell it to no one in this place and act like nothing happened okay?"

the men nodded and before they seperated, Price reminded them,

"Well I hope the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien receives us well or else we may use all of our firepower just to get out of this place. Just do not tell them any thing about what happened."

They all nodded and packed up to enter Lothlorien.


	9. In the City of Trees

Chapter 9: In the "City Of Trees"

The Company entered Caras Galadhon at sundown. As usual Captain John Price, Captain John Mactavish and Sergeant Nikolai were at the rear with their hands on their rifles that hung on their slings. The three men wondered at the unusual place they were in. Nikolai just muttered as he followed the company,

"These are trees? I've never seen anything like this! This beats those skyscrapers!"

Mactavish was also amazed and asked Haldir,

"Hey, Haldir does your people live in these trees? And where are we going?"

Haldir answered as they walked,

"Yes our people lived here that is why we are called the Galadhrim, the tree dwellers. To answer your second question, you are all going to the dwelling of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel."

Mactavish nodded and muttered,

"So we are in a city of tree houses and tree condominiums and tree buildings and tree dwelling people."

Mactavish slightly grinned and continued to gaze at the unusual scenery as they climbed to the dwelling of the rulers of Lothlorien.

The three men were the last of the company to enter a great hall. Many elves were seated around them but the most important looking of the elves present was sitting beside Frodo it was a couple: a blond woman and a silver haired man and those two are the ones that Captain Price, Captain Mactavish and Sergeant Nikolai have their attention at. Price whispered to Nikolai and Mactavish as Galadriel and Celeborn spoke to them,

"So these two are Lord and Lady of Lothlorien. Keep your eyes open."

"Captain look! the Lady is looking at us! Did she found out our act?"

Whispered Nikolai nervously as his hand was slowly reaching his M9 pistol. Then Galadriel started to look at their eyes Nikolai sat bolt upright and looked at her sharply but Nikolai swallowed as he had his hand on the grip of his M9 Beretta as he held the elf lady's eyes with his but he could not withstand her stare and it made him move his eye downward as Nikolai released his right hand from his pistol and placed it in his knee and looked backed at her. Price and Mactavish however tried to withstand her stare looking at her straight in her eyes as if the two of them were staring at a superior officer. The Company sighed when they were finally relieved by the elf lord and lady and were allowed to rest in Lothlorien.

When the company moved into a pavilion prepared by the elves, Price, Mactavish and Nikolai talked about the Lady Galadriel. Price said as he sat on a couch,

"I think it looks like that this Lady Galadriel was extracting additional intelligence from us or made us report about the death of Gandalf. She knew old man and she is really sorry for him. But what is strange is what she did to us a while ago. What was that for? And it looked strange and I did not like it."

Mactavish said,

"Whatever it is it looked like this: she might be looking for a traitor in us. Remember what she said about the Company's integrity _"Yet hope remains while the company is true."_ And she seemed to offer something to us that are deeply personal I guess like a bribe."

Nikolai broke,

"Like a hundred million rubles, a beautiful, respected and loving wife and a grand dacha like those of the Soviet elite had in the countryside in the outskirts of Moscow My friend?"

"Something like what you said. And do not forget to ask for a lot of vodka and glasses for us to drink until we forget our problems."

Replied Mactavish and he laughed. Price then said,

"Then the day after we will suffer hangover and had no idea of what happened and find ourselves in different parts of Lothlorien."

The three chuckled and when it died down Nikolai said,

"Well that won't happen why? Because I am a loyalist and Russia is under the Ultranationalist party. And she has no idea what I am talking about and come on, we won't give up on this company, we promised the elf at Rivendell to help them."

Boromir also had the same deduction of the Lady like Mactavish and suspected her as he shared his thoughts to the three men but Aragorn told them that she could be trusted and is not hostile. With that the company dozed off.

The Company stayed long in Lorien. Price, Mactavish and Nikolai spent the period with the company bringing only their side arms when they walked around and they often spoke of Gandalf and they often heard Elves singing in their language in mourning of his death. This Price took no notice. They have to carry on the mission that they were tasked. Mactavish and Nikolai knew that they have to move on. The three of them waited for any developments, they understood that their companions have to recover from the loss of Gandalf. The company were once again recalled by the Lord and Lady. It was night and only Nikolai was drowsy but finally the company will now continue the journey Price knew that most of his companions were sad to leave but for him at least they will make some progress so he sat and listened on the next plan of the company.

The plan along with the advice of Lord Celeborn is to travel south using the Anduin river by boat that will be provided by the elves but the company was not yet sure of the next plan whether they will go to Minas Tirith to join the conflict against Mordor with Boromir or to go straight to Mordor with the rest of the Company for Boromir will go back to Minas Tirith in which he was the son of the ruling steward there. Nikolai and Mactavish were silent. Price thought,

"If we are going to Minas Tirith for the war then we might need more firepower... Could the lady Galadriel provide what the three of us needed like more ammunition more guns? Additional men might be good. And if to Mordor, then it will be about stealth. But I have no intel about the land and ten of us sneaking there is quite noticeable. But the ring must be with the bearer. And if one of us is captured we are screwed. And if the ring is destroyed there are no extraction force get us out of Mordor and that means either sneaking our way out of there or fighting it out. I'm sure that there will be stragglers even if a great power of it will be gone... Bollocks... I cant even decide in this"

Price was surprised when Galadriel smiled spoke to him,

"You are in deep thought Captain John Price. Be at ease and rest peacefully tonight."

Price silently nodded and tipped his boonie hat and left with the company.

Back at their pavilion, Price listened to his companions as they planned their course of action. Most of them wanted to go to Minas Tirith but they have not yet decided on what to do next. Price then said to them,

"Alright, most of us have plans to go to Gondor and then to Mordor, that is a good plan I suppose... Because if we go straight to Mordor then it will be a gamble... We have no knowledge about the whole land. And we will infiltrate this realm full of enemies thus we will use stealth to go to mount Doom, that at least and the dark tower are the known landmarks inside Mordor itself and there are only two entry points to get in there: the Black Gate and the Minas Morgul and in our situation, these points are heavily guarded... and we will have a hard time to get in, destroy the ring and get out of Mordor if we are to do it on just our own but our advantage is of course the enemy have no idea that we are in Mordor and we are about to destroy his ring and we will have a big problem if we are discovered. It is not impossible but it will cost a lot and it will be very dangerous and all of us will have to have fight that at least we all experienced."

his companions all nodded in agreement but it did not even help in making their decision and. And the one who will decide in the end is the ring bearer and their leader, Aragorn who is now thinking about their next plan after travelling in Anduin. The company had no clear plan decided to sleep on it since it is their last night in Lorien. Tommorow, the Company will leave tomorrow and continue the rest of the journey.


	10. Boat Ride

The next day, the Company started to pack up and elves gave them food called lembas and strange gray coloured cloaks that the elves said could hide it's wearer from others .Captain John Mactavish looked at it and said to himself,

"Are these camouflage cloaks? But this is just a grey cloak and hood. Anyway this might be useful... I could snipe hostiles in any place without being spotted by just wearing this if the elves are right."

The company now walked out of Caras Galadhon towards the river and reached it in the afternoon. The company now boarded their grey boats. Captains Price and Mactavish manned the oars while Nikolai was at the rear with his AK 47 readied in his hands in case that the Company met enemies along the way. When the boats turned the company met a large boat that looked like a swan and they saw both the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn and they were invited to a farewell feast. After they had feasted Celeborn briefed the company about their trip and told them where to go if they are going to Gondor or to Mordor. The Lady made a farewell toast and gave the Company different gifts. Price, Mactavish and Nikolai were also given golden belts and in gratitude the three stepped back and gave the lady a salute. The lady bowed to them and the three lowered their hands as if the salute was given back. Price and Mactavish now pulled their pistols tucked in their combat pants and converted their gifts into pistol belts with Nikolai also doing the same. When the Lady had given her gifts, the Company were now led back to their boats and the Company left Lothlorien with the Lady Galadriel singing in an unintelligible language to the three men.

"There goes the Land of Lorien and its beautiful Lady. So we're back to work then?"

Asked Nikolai who was looking back towards Lorien while he pulled the charging handle of his AK 47.

"Yes we are and I guess we left last safe place we have. We're on our own again Nikolai so stay sharp. "

Replied Price as he and Mactavish rowed their boat

Mactavish remarked at their speed,

"I wish our boats could go faster... I should have asked for a motor engine for our boats."

His companions on the boat just nodded in agreement as they followed the Company.

The Company sailed the river by day and then changed to travelling by night for some reason that the three men did not care about but they favoured travelling by night so that they will be harder to be spotted. At first the Company encountered no enemies until the eighth night when they were ambushed by orcs. The current took the boats close enough to the shore where the orcs are so while the company was trying to escape Price said to Nikolai,

"Nikolai, give us covering fire so that the others could go to the west. Soap and I will row the boat."

Nikolai spotted figures moving in the eastern bank and he aimed his rifle at them and fired it at full auto killing some archers who still did not cease shooting the company. Mactavish shouted to the rest of their companions in the other boats,

"All of you move on! We will draw their fire and will try to suppress them."

Nikolai reloaded his AK when Price said,

"Nikolai, drop a couple of rounds from your grenade launcher to the east bank."

Nikolai loaded a round on his GP 25 grenade launcher attachment and fired once and it killed half a dozen of enemy archers. The second round killed at least ten more and the boat made its way to the west bank of the river, were the rest of the company are but the archers were still shooting them. Mactavish just said aloud,

"These guys won't stop shooting us."

He pulled his M4A1 and fired back in short bursts at the orcs at the other side. Price and Nikolai also did the same and the three of them took cover in the side of their boat that was on the bank. The three stopped shooting when they heard Legolas sighing as he fired his bow to a flying creature flying towards them and the creature fell when Price was about to shoot it with his M4A1. The shooting had stopped and it was quiet again. The Company moved elsewhere to spend the night in full alert for another attack.

The next day, the Company have to continue on foot because they could not pass the rapids of Sarn Gebir and the men have to lift their boats to get to the other side of it. The Company spent the rest of their day resting and continued the journey tomorrow. The Company continued floating down the Anduin River and the Company neared the Argonath.

The three men looked at the giant statues with wonder. Mactavish said,

"This was bigger than the statue of Liberty I guess."

Nikolai wondered,

"Will they move if they are attacked? They seem to guard this place."

Price was silent as he rowed the boat into a tunnel.

After they passed the Argonath, the three men looked at it then glanced at Aragorn in curiosity. Price wondered at the Ranger and thought,

"Is this man really a king? Who knows, but what they said about the man in Rivendell, his sword, the stone that Galadriel gave him at Lothlorien and what he said earlier... We'll see... this man really has potential in him."

The company afterwards docked their boats in near a place called Parth Galen to spend the night there.

As the Three men disembarked, Captain Mactavish asked Aragorn,

"We are at the waterfalls Aragorn… So what are we going to do next?"

The Ranger answered,

"We shall rest for the night and then we will choose which path we will take tomorrow."

The Captain nodded and followed the Ranger.


	11. Disintegration

The company gathered round to decide where they will go next the following morning. Most of the Company wanted to go to Minas Tirith first with Boromir but Frodo have not yet decided so they let the hobbit walk away for privacy for him to think more carefully. Frodo was given an hour to decide so the Company sat and waited for him and discussed some other topic. The Three men sat with a weapon on their hand as their companions talked. Captain John Price was oiling his M4A1; Captain John Mactavish was loading .45 bullets to a magazine of his USP, and Nikolai was clearing a jam on his AK 47. The three were on the lookout for orcs for Aragorn said earlier that there were enemies nearby. Then Mactavish asked Price quietly,

"What's our plan Price?"

The Captain replied,

"Well we will go where we are needed most. Do you agree to that Soap, Nikolai?"

The Russian answered,

"Alright Captain Price, were with you. It was nice plan sir."

The Captain continued to clean his rifle silently. Meanwhile, the company's topic went back to Frodo and their course so they tried to choose who will go with Frodo and who will remain in Minas Tirith. The hobbits, Pippin and Merry however did not want to go to Minas Tirith and insisted to stick with Frodo. Then Aragorn asked Captain Price,

"Well Captain Price, what do you think?"

"Since, most of you wanted to go to Mordor with Baggins; the three of us decided that we will go where we are most needed. Most of us who will go to Mordor are adept in combat and had been in military service from where we came from, we could help Boromir in the military campaign against Sauron. And if things go well, we could help you from Minas Tirith by launching a counterattack or go with more men to Mordor or its outskirts to help you escape or buy you time to destroy the Ring. And if you are going to Minas Tirith, we will go with Frodo to Mordor. As soldiers, we engaged in missions were we infiltrated deep in enemy territory to fulfill our mission and we got out. We could help Frodo and his companions survive Mordor and accomplish their task."

The Company agreed to the Captain. The hour that was given to Frodo has passed and he did not come back. And then they saw Boromir who had a glum look. When the man told his story of his argument with Frodo and his disappearance, the hobbits the elf and the dwarf scrambled in search of Frodo, only the five men remained. The three soldiers were standing near Aragorn with their rifles ready in their hands waiting for Aragorn to issue orders. They were trying to look for Frodo from where they stood until Aragorn bade them and Boromir to guard Merry and Pippin to search the area for Frodo and then to return if they found him. When the five men separated, Price, Mactavish and Nikolai were with Boromir to guard the hobbits but Boromir said to them,

"The three of you could find the Frodo; I will look after the two halflings."

Price nodded and they separated. While the three were scanning the area as they walked, Mactavish said,

"It looks like Boromir's been to some problems."

"Whatever it is it made him feel very sorry. Keep looking for Baggins, eyes sharp. Our companions are giving away our position by the noise they make."

Price snapped and the search continued. Minutes later, the men were met by a group of orcs. Nikolai quickly dispatched the group with his AK47. Then Price said,

"Let's go back and regroup with the rest. Lock and load!"

The three then ran back to their camp in formation, Price on the lead and Nikolai and Mactavish at his side. A horn call was heard and the three men knew it. Mactavish said,

"Our company's ambushed! Boromir is in trouble!"

Then they were ambushed by orcs and slowed the three. There were a large number of orcs and they fought their way back to the camp slowly. At first the orcs were using only swords and then there were archers with them and it became some sort of shootout. The men took cover in trees or rocks then fired back their rifles in full automatic that killed the archers then they made a run to reach Boromir but they were still attacked by the archers so they have to move cover to cover, only advancing when they had killed or suppressed the archers or the occasional sword wielding orcs who dared to charge them head-on and end up being shot by full metal jacketed bullets. Eventually the three men finally arrived to Boromir's location but they were the last to come, Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn were there but the hobbits where missing and they were gathered around Boromir who was sitting with his back to a tree. The three men approached him and found out that he was already dead and their companions were tending the dead man for a funeral. Price then slung back his rifle and helped them move the body to one of the boats. Nikolai and Soap were guarding them with their rifles and looked at the bodies of dead orcs that seemed to be killed by Boromir before he died.

Price asked Aragorn,

"We did not arrive in time to help Boromir, we're sorry. What happened to the man?"

Aragorn sadly replied,

"None of us came in time for him also; he was slain by arrows from the orcs. He said that they have captured the hobbits before he died. He died trying to defend the hobbits."

Price glanced at the bodies of the orcs and said,

"He killed all of them alone. He must have fought hard to the end. Any sign of the hobbits?"

Legolas replied,

"Aragorn only found the belts and swords that belong to Pippin and Merry, Captain Price."

When they laid Boromir on a boat, the three men stayed behind when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli took another boat to take Boromir to the falls of Rauros. Price then called out to them,

"We will give the man our last salute before he goes to the falls."

With that, the men formed a single rank, shouldered their rifles, aimed it at the sky then fired altogether once. Their companions watched the gun salute as they floated to Rauros. They heard the guns fire six more times with each firing three shots from the rifles.

After the remnants Company rejoined at the river bank. Aragorn now thought what to do when they found out that one of the boats was missing. Then Aragorn decided to hunt for Pippin and Merry. The Ranger called the three men,

"Come on, Captains Price and Mactavish and Nikolai. Join us hunt for our companions!"

Price then replied,

"Of course that's what I wanted to do anyway. Baggins is on his own now and so are we. So we'd better move quickly."

They then began the pursuit of their captured comrades.

"This will be a long run my friends!"

Said Nikolai as he shouldered his rifle and ran.


	12. Pursuit

The remnants of the Company were already on the second day of their chase and they found the trail of the orcs after founding some of their bodies. Later the company found another sign of their captured companions. It was the brooch of a cloak from Lorien. At dusk they decided to stop for a while for it is now nearing evening and they might miss the track of the orcs. Price, Mactvish and Nikolai were too tired to suggest that they could use their taclights to follow the trail.

Price woke up and found that most of his companions were still asleep. He checked his watch and it was 04:45 in the morning and found Legolas standing near them. Price picked up his rifle and bag and shook himself awake. Nikolai and Mactavish woke up next and asked Price,

"What time is it Price?"

"O Four forty five Soap. Pick up your gear; we might be starting any minute from now."

Aragorn then woke up and then followed Gimli. All of them knew that their quarry have a great lead on them and after Aragorn listened in the ground for signs of their quarry, then they continued the chase for another day until in the morning of the day after. They saw movement of horsemen approaching their direction Price, Mactavish, and Nikolai grabbed binoculars and had a closer look at them, fortunately their position is on a hill and it gave them a good view. They looked like horsemen from the middle ages armed with swords, spears and bows. Then they were shaken by Aragorn and said,

"What devices are you holding?"

Price handed the binoculars to Aragorn and said,

"It is called binoculars; it's used to make far objects look nearer."

The ranger returned the binoculars to the captain who was now aiming his rifle at the horsemen. Aragorn asked Price,

"What are you trying to do? Shoot them? But we are outnumbered?"

Price replied,

"We could take out most of them if we used our grenade launchers."

Nikolai and Mactavish already had their rifles aimed at the horsemen. The three laid prone with their rifles aimed. Aragorn and his other companions looked at the three men with wonder. At length Aragorn then said,

"Come on the three of you, I have been with these riders long ago. I could talk to them. Let us move down this hill. There is no need to use your weapons again this time. "

"Will do, don't worry when you talk to them we got your back."

Said Mactavish who drew his USP .45 and chambered a round in it, Nikolai and Price also did the same

The three followed him and they all moved down the hill and waited for the riders with their cloaks wrapped around them. Then when Aragorn rose they were quickly surrounded by the horsemen with their spears pointed towards them. The three men rose with their hands and their pistols at the back of their heads. They stood silently as they watched Aragorn and the leader of the horsemen, Marshall Eomer talk and the Marshall said something about the Lothlorien that angered Legolas and Gimli. Price and Aragorn intervened when their two companions grabbed their weapons, Price raised his M1911 from the back of his head and fired three shots in the air to take their attention, Price shouted,

"What on earth are the two of you thinking?! Calm down! We can't wage a fight in the middle of nowhere with no chance of us surviving it! Let Aragorn speak!"

"But Captain Price-"

Replied GImli,

Price interrupted

"Stand down Gimli, Legolas your bow! Lower it! Let Aragorn handle it."

The elf and dwarf lowered their weapons and Price holstered his M1911. Legolas said,

"Pardon me Captain what the Marshall said angered us."

Price snapped back,

"It's alright Legolas and Gimli I know the rest of you really revere Lady Galadriel."

The captain nodded back to Aragorn and Eomer to continue before placing his hands at the back of his head again Mactavish whispered,

"Nice move Price…"

"Hopefully they are not hardheads to deal with. But they are really short tempered."

Replied Price, Mactavish just shrugged Nikolai nodded to him in approval.

The Riders were not really hostile as it turns out. They knew both Boromir and Gandalf and were saddened when they heard that they were dead and the Company learned from the Riders that he orcs that they were chasing were already killed in a battle however they found no hobbits among the dead and their land of Rohan is in trouble because of Saruman. The riders now assembled and Eomer gave them horses. Unfortunately there were only three of them and the three men have to use only a single horse. Before Eomer left he looked at the three of them who already had their rifles at their hands and asked Aragorn,

"Who are these strange men you are with? They are strangest men I have met and they are armed with weapons I have never seen or even heard before?

"They are soldiers Eomer, soldiers from a distant land they call Afghanistan. The old looking man is Captain Price; the others are Captain Mactavish and the last is Sergeant Nikolai."

Eomer looked at three of them and said

"We have never met men like you. I see that you have fought wars and had men under your command. I hope you may aid us."

"And that we hope so Marshall Eomer. I also hope that this horse could bear three men. You owe us about the orcs that you had killed."

"It will, Captain Price the horses of the Mark are sturdy beasts…"

"I have one last question… Why do you have to use that small weapon of yours?

"I have to calm down my comrades the fastest way possible Marshall, a matter of quick response."

The rest of the Company also promised to come to them in order to return the horses that they lent and to help Rohan in their trouble. Then they separated on their own routes.

The Six now followed the tracks of the orcs that were killed, until they reached the outskirts of Fangorn. The Two Captains and the Pilot came last when their companions came to what seems to be a huge bonfire. They were searching for traces of the hobbits. They decided to bivouac in the forest for night is drawing and they planned to search the hobbits in the forest. The Six hunters were sitting around the fire and discussed about the forest of Fangorn. Celeborn warned them that the forest is perilous and the three men reacted in amazement on what things dwelt in it. Nikolai said,

"What are these things, are they beast, wild men, savages?"

"I have no knowledge about them, Sergeant Nikolai, by the way? Why did you have this Sergeant on your name? And why Mactavish and Price were called Captains?"

Replied Aragorn Nikolai chuckled and replied,

"Well, I was in the Army in the past and I have the rank of Sergeant."

Legolas asked,

"What is Sergeant? Is it a title of a warrior or a king or a lord?"

Nikolai answered as if explaining things to a civilian

"A Sergeant is a rank of a Noncommissioned Officer that could command few men let us say twenty or less in missions. They rank below a Commisioned officer such as a Captain like Captains, Price and Mactavish. Officers could handle more men than me let us say a hundred men or more or less in the rank of a Captain. The ranks go higher and so is the power of command and the number of soldiers under his control with the highest being a general being able to control a whole army and the lowest is called a Private who in other words is the common foot soldier."

Legolas said,

"I do not know that armies are as intricate as what you have said Sergeant Nikolai."

Aragorn added,

"And Boromir was a General in Minas Tirith they say… Alas that he perished."

Price replied,

"Poor man… well at least the orcs that killed him are dead too… He could have helped us in here… or in Gondor. I hope we could find those hobbits in the forest."

Gimli had the first watch for the night and the rest of his companions fell asleep. Mactavish joined the dwarf and brewed coffee using an aluminum mug in the fire which interested the elf and the dwarf because of the smell of it. When Mactavish was finished brewing the coffee the elf asked him,

"What liquid did you brew captain?"

Soap answered,

"This one is called coffee it is bitter if drank pure but it tastes sweeter if you add sugar and milk or creamer. Drink this when you don't want to sleep, very useful for us now. Do you want some, Gimli?"

The dwarf answered,

"Aye Captain, give me some of that brew."

The captain added sugar to the coffee and reached for a couple of mugs and handed it to the Dwarf and Elf, and then he divided the coffee in the mugs and drank the coffee and Mactavish poured the rest of the coffee in his thermos. They sipped their coffee silently until the elf laid down in a strange manner until he fell asleep or what it looked like to Mactavish. Only the two of them remained awake now they reserved the remainder of the elf's coffee for the next one who will take watch. The coffee improved their vigilance and kept them alert. Gimli had his axe at his hand and Mactavish had his M4A1 at his right side and the two resumed their watch. Then they spotted an old man. Mactavish slowly drew his USP .45 and cocked the hammer and pointed the barrel to the old man. The rest of them woke up and Aragorn spoke to the old man but he vanished and the horses were gone. Price rubbed his eyes with his right knuckle in disbelief. Mactavish was blinking while he still held his pistol in his right hand. Nikolai had just grabbed his M9 Berreta lying beside him when the man disappeared. He just said,

"The man vanished right?"

His companions nodded and Aragorn replied,

"And the horses were gone too…"

The Company now rested for the night and Aragorn suspected it was the wizard Saruman who did the trick. It was Nikolai and Aragorn who took watch and the two of them shared the leftover coffee. This time it was Aragorn who was amused by the strange drink of the three strange men. And the watch revolved to Price and Legolas hours later.

The hunters continued their search for the hobbits in the morning. And they found traces of the hobbits like the food wrapping of their Lembas, orc weapons and hobbit footprints. They continued the hunt into the Fangorn forest and found more traces of the hobbits until they came to a hill and the traces ended there. Nikolai, Mactavish, and Price stood alert with their rifles ready. They were looking for any sign of the old man that appeared last night. Legolas sighted the old man wearing a hat and a gray cloak again he was moving towards them. The three men aimed their rifles at him. The elf aimed his bow at him but Aragorn did not permit them to shoot. The old man said that he wanted to talk to them and spoke as if he knew them. Price, Mactavish and Nikolai were suspicious.

"This man is playing mind games with us…"

Mactavish thought and shook his head. And He listened at the conversation between Aragorn and the old man. At first it was pretty nonsense for the Captain. The old man seemed to be successful in delaying the search but when he said that he knew that they were looking for hobbits and he knew where they are and so he asked them to talk with him, the captain raised his brow and he quietly said to Price and Nikolai,

"I guess this man is bluffing with us Price. He really wanted to delay us."

"I got that Soap; He's sitting on a stone. Steady. Keep that rifle trained on him."

Gimli then cried aloud and moved to attack but the man mysteriously disarmed him. The three men fired a short burst from their rifles. The shots surprisingly missed the old man but the three men were unable to hit the man. The old man seemed to use his staff as a sort of a weapon for he was now strangely shining in white which made the three men look away from him. The three men switched to their side arms as they covered their faces with their left hands and fired at him. But when Legolas said that the old man was Gandalf, they slowly lowered their handguns and had a good look at the old man who seemed to have changed a lot from his hair to his clothes and it seemed that it was white. The three lowered their pistols astounded and Price muttered,

"Where the hell have you been, Mr. Gandalf?"


	13. Back to Civilization

Back to Civilization

Gandalf reacquainted himself with the remnants of the Company. He told them how he survived his fall in Moria and killed the Balrog by himself and was later transported Lothlorien to recover a bit and to deliver messages from Lady Galadriel to the Company. When the Gandalf was about to say the Lady's message to the three men, Captain John Mactavish said,

"It is best to say her message clearly to us Mr. Gandalf. Just go straight to the point. She really speaks gorgeously but a bit complicated I might say…"

"Well she just said that three of you were the most unusual men she had met… The men who would risk their lives to help their comrades and She told me that your presence was a great aid to the cause of the Company but you were the only men to nearly fight an elf in Lorien even if there is another elf in your company… "

Mactavish raised his brow and sighed as Gandalf continued,

"…She forgave the three of you and had a reminder to take care for your lives are often put in peril."

Captain John Price then said,

"We already know that."

The Company now walked out of the forest and found out that their missing horses were with Gandalf's horse, Shadowfax. The three men once again embarked on the single horse that was given to them. Gandalf smiled at the three and said,

"So the three men ride a single horse?"

Mactavish replied,

"Yes, but the horse could handle it, surprisingly… We don't even know its name."

"Well then you should keep up, we need to reach Edoras quickly."

"Yes sir. Will do, you have a nice horse by the way."

With that they rode to Edoras. During the ride the three men had were hardly keeping up with the steeds of their companions. Nikolai said,

"We should have asked lady Galadriel for a UH 60 Blackhawk or a Mi 24 Hind, it could help us travel a lot faster."

"Yeah Nikolai… Keep on dreaming"

And the three of them grinned.

The Company later reached the gates of Edoras and proceeded to the hall of its king who is named Theoden. Before they were admitted, they have to deposit their weapons to the guard. Their companions didn't want to deposit their weapons first and had to cajole each other into surrendering their arms and when it was the turn of the three men the guard named Hama gave a strange look then Price carefully instructed him before he handed his M4A1 to the guard,

"Here's what you will do to our weapons; handle them carefully, do not point the barrel of the weapon to anyone but an orc, never place your trigger finger on the trigger, and when you leave it, make it stand on its butt…"

The Captain demonstrated it to the curious guard and drew his M1911 and said

"And the same goes for this pistol make it lie near the rifle… And here…"

The guard widened his eyes when he saw Price hand his grenades to the guard. He asked,

"What are these? Are these also weapons?"

"Those are called grenades. You press the lever, pull the safety pin and throw it to your foes. Be very careful with that… They are used in taking out groups of enemies. If you just pull the pin… You may kill yourself and those near you."

The guard then said,

"I have no knowledge of your weapons. They are strange and very fell on your account. Just leave them there. I assure you that no one else will lay a hand on your weapons…"

Price then handed over his combat knife and then followed Mactavish and Nikolai.

Mactavish then said to Price at a low voice,

"Are you sure that they will not mess up our guns?"

"No Soap, they would not."

Replied Price as he glanced on the guards who were grouped near their guns staring at their strange weapons.

The three men followed Gandalf as they entered the hall and proceeded until they came to the throne of the king. Nikolai remarked to his companions about the king's appearance,

"So that is the King of Rohan… He looks like a hundred years old to me."

"Shut up Nikolai. Gandalf that king and that creepy man are talking…"

Said Soap but Nikolai said,

"There's a chick over there! Behind the chair…"

"Must be his wife…"

"No Captain, she is too young, maybe she's his daughter?"

"Your right Nikolai… Hey, the creepy man is talking and he speaks like a creep and old Gandalf doesn't seem to like him."

The two men stopped their talk when Captain Price said,

"It's too bloody dark!"

And Nikolai and Mactavish looked at the place where Gandalf stood and he was glowing white and continued to talk. Mactavish remarked,

"Gandalf often glows he could qualify as a beacon."

Then Nikolai slightly tugged Mactavish's sleeve and said,

"Look the old King is standing!"

"What? I thought he was lame."

The men watched King Theoden walk to the doors of the hall while being assisted by the woman and by Gandalf. The woman was now dismissed and Nikolai and Mactavish saw the woman stop for a moment as she looked at Aragorn before she went back inside. The three men remained at the entrance standing at quite a distance behind Gandalf and King Theoden who were discussing with each other.

"This is quiet boring you know Captain…"

Nikolai remarked as he reached for a chocolate bar in his pocket. The pilot then unwrapped the chocolate bar and shared it with Mactavish who gladly accepted it. The three men continued to stand at their place and looked around taking no notice of what the Wizard and the King was talking about and then saw that the king of Rohan had rallied his men and a sword was being presented to him by the Hama who guarded the gates earlier and Eomer the Marshall. The three men also saw that the "creep" had returned and then just knew that he was Grima the Wormtongue.

The King now spoke to Grima and Nikolai and Mactavish watched and listened to the pleas and excuses to the king and his scolding by Gandalf which revealed he was a working for Saruman. Afterwards Grima walked out and spat at the stairs which made a guard to clean it.

The remnants of the Company were accommodated to the house again and they had lunch and they were given weapons armor and the three men took a sword and chain mail shirts for them to use. When Eomer asked them why they need swords and armor even if they had their strange guns, Price answered him,

"From where we come from, It was a long time since we used weapons and armor from your fashion. Our armor is made to stop bullets, not arrows or bladed or shafted weapons. We don't use swords there anymore so if we still have time… Maybe you could teach us three on how to use these well."

Eomer just answered before leaving,

"We have no time Captain, but you will learn soon enough… there will be battle soon."

Captain Price then asked a final question,

"Are there any other horses for the three of us?"

"Nay Captain and I beg your pardon about it. Every horse that could be used in war is now mounted by our men. But your sturdy steed, Theod could bear you and your two friends for many leagues yet."

With that the Marshall left and the three men began to equip themselves their new gear. They wore their mail shirts under their combat jackets and Nikolai wore his beneath his flight suit and their swords were on the left of their golden belts. Afterwards they went back outside to rejoin their companions and retake their rifles, pistols, grenades and knives at the gate and they prepared to mount their horse again. Then their host began move and the three men were one of the last to leave and they looked back to the Golden hall and they gave a salute to lady Eowyn who took charge of those who were left on Edoras.

"We're back in action then…"

John Mactavish muttered as he chambered a .45 round in his USP.


	14. A Night In Helm's Deep

The Riders along with the Company had now arrived at Hornburg at the night of the next day and they had prepared for the defense of the place while Eomer and Aragorn taught the three men sword fighting with the little time they had. The scouts had said that they were outnumbered by the forces of Saruman who were composed of men of Dunland and of orcs. So Captain Price came to king Theoden to propose a weapon that could help them in the battle.

"What is this weapon that you are telling us?"

Theoden asked. The Captain then asked for a bottle, a piece of cloth and oil then proceeded to make a crude weapon. When he was finished, Price presented it to the king and those around him,

"We call this weapon a Molotov cocktail or a fire bottle. To make this weapon you will need a bottle or anything fragile that could hold liquids, next is oil, like the one that is used in lamps or anything that goes into flames when lit, and lastly we need a piece of cloth that is soaked in oil which will be the wick. If you are going to use it; ignite the wick and throw it to your enemies and they will burn."

"We have never heard or have seen such a weapon Captain Price. Our foes are burning everything they see. We shall burn them too. We need to make as many as we could for our enemies are drawing near."

The King replied so the men that could be spared set out to make Molotov cocktails while the rest prepared for the attack. Price then said before he assisted in making the cocktails,

"Have caution when you throw them, the fire spreads and it could be perilous for those who will throw it near themselves or their allies. It is best to use them when they are close to each other."

Meanwhile Captain "Soap" Mactavish and Sergeant Nikolai were in the wall with Legolas and Gimli and they were discussing the defense of Hornburg Mactavish said,

"If you wanted this place to be protected I'll just need about twenty men, arm them with machineguns with a lot of ammo. Maybe that will be enough or let us include some mortars and grenade launchers and our foes will never see the light of day again and they will have a very hard time just trying to get close to the walls."

Nikolai added,

"Add some anti-personnel mines and a barb-wire fence or coils and this place will be very secure that our enemies would not even come close to the walls"

Legolas then asked,

"How could twenty men and such contrivances help defend Hornburg against a vast number of foes?"

Mactavish answered while looking from the battlements,

"The machinegun is a weapon that could shoot a lot of bullets at your mark. They are very useful against massed enemies and it often strikes fear on them from just hearing it. Just ten of them placed on the walls would be enough to hold them back. Mortars and grenade launchers shoot ammunition that explodes and they have to be fired in angle like a bow and arrow. Mortars could fire bigger projectiles that have enough power to destroy a small house or wound and kill a score or more of enemies that are grouped closely together. Grenade launchers are smaller and those are the ones that we used against the orcs when we are on the river."

Gimli then asked,

"What about the fences and mines? Mines are not used for defenses they are for taking precious ore and valuable stones though they could be used as refuge."

"The mine that I am talking about Gimli is a weapon where you place it on the ground and wait for an enemy to step on it and it will blow them up to pieces, and a barb-wire fence is a kind of fence with wires with barbs that we basically use to keep intruders of our property and we also used barb wire coils where the enemy will be slowed down because they have to breach it before they get through which is very difficult to destroy then there will mines that will be waiting for them if they get through the fence and the machineguns will kill many of them before they could do even approach the fence."

The elf and dwarf were amazed by the Captain's tale but he said,

"And there more ways to defend this place if this happens in where we come from. And it will look like we just murdered them."

Mactavish and Nikolai thought of other ways that would make it happen; artillery barrage, air strike, or even a mechanized division of tanks or armored fighting vehicles to meet them and they could be finished in a very small time frame, even less than an hour whether it could be Panzer 4s, Sherman tanks, or T-34s from World War 2 or modern BTRs, BMPs, Bradley IFVs or M1 Abrams or Challenger Tanks. A number of Gatling guns could even cut their number way quicker and much simpler than what it required during the old times whether they were orcs or men or elves or dwarves. The two men had their rifles on their hands and were about to give their enemies a taste of modern warfare. Nikolai then said to Mactavish,

"I remember I have stashed some White Phosphorous grenades in our bags Captain Mactavish. It would be very useful for us this time."

Mactavish was about to answer when arrows from the enemy were fired on the defenders of Helm's Deep and the defenders returned fire. Mactavish and Nikolai now took their Phosphorous grenades from their bags and started to attach them to their utility belt with their other grenades. Nikolai and Mactavish aimed their rifles near the gates where their enemies were gathering to breach the gates. Price now joined them and said,

"We should concentrate our gunfire near the gates that's where the hostiles will be massed and it is our most critical area. Our bullets will be able to penetrate their armor so we could kill them quicker. We let the soldiers do their shooting and we will back them up. We use our swords in close quarter combat to conserve ammo or we use our handguns and we should watch each other's back. This one's very different than a firefight and our ammo is very scarce."

With that, the three assisted on the defense by keeping an overwatch at the gates shooting those who are closest to the gates and shooting through shield walls to expose them to the archers of Rohan and also taking out the enemy archers. Legolas was with the men also shooting with his bow and arrow until he went out of arrows to shoot. The three had already killed many orcs at the gates and the men of Rohan had seen them and when the Orcs had scaled the walls with ladders and hooks, a soldier had come for Captain Price and said,

"Our foes are scaling the walls! We need your weapons to hold them back. We had spent our arrows on them but they kept coming at us!"

Price answered

"We will help you but you had to hold back any orc or man that had scaled the wall away from us. We do not have enough ammo to kill every one of them from here even if we wanted to."

With that the soldier agreed and called for backup to cover the three men.

The Three first helped clear the areas on the wall where the enemies had already scaled with automatic fire from their rifles, then they fired their grenade launchers or threw grenades on the base of the scaling devices of the enemies below which instantly killed and wounded at least a dozen of them from the explosives or shrapnel of the grenades or the white phosphorous that created horrible burns all the while the soldiers of Rohan held back any foe that would try to attack the Three men. Finally the attack had ceased and the Three lowered their rifles and drank from their canteens. The three men remained on the wall with their men Price and Mactavish looked from the cover of a battlement and Price said,

"I do not like this."

Just then there was an explosion and the walls were scaled again and the orcs had overwhelmed the defenders of the wall and made the three men and their companions retreat to the citadel. Price and Nikolai fired their grenade launchers on their left and right side of the wall to buy time for their retreat. And they fought through the orcs with their rifles, spraying bullets to the orcs and men that opposed them which killed almost a hundred of them for they were too close to each other but they were already at point blank range for the rifles of the three men. When they passed through Aragorn and climbed the stairs to the citadel, Mactavish tossed an M67 grenade at a group of orcs and said to him,

"Come on Aragorn, that grenade will take care of some of them…"

The Three men were now inside the Citadel along with Aragorn and Legolas and took positions on the windows to shoot at the approaching enemies. The men conserved their ammo this time shooting the enemies in semi automatic to provide covering fire to the men of Rohan. A few minutes later, Aragorn appeared again after speaking to Theoden. Price saw the man and asked,

"Are you going back to the walls?"

"Aye Captain, Legolas will join me and we will take it back. There are places in the Citadel where you could shoot better."

Price looked at the walls and saw that there are soldiers of Rohan there fighting orcs. The Captain nodded and said,

"Good we'll cover you from here now move!"

Price, Mactavish and Nikolai provided covering fire for Aragorn and Legolas as soon as they left the Citadel. The Three later decided to follow Aragorn to the walls when they saw King Theoden approach them and said,

"The three of you should stay here. I will ride forth with my men and with Aragorn at dawn to the gate and I need you and your weapons to hold them back a little longer from the Citadel. I see that our foes fear your weapons and I hope that it will stop them. Worry not-"

The King was cut off by an explosion and the three men quickly fired at the orcs coming through the blown up gate. Aragorn came back to Citadel and said to the King,

"It is time for us to ride King Theoden!"

The King then replied as he walked to the stables

"Good, now blow the Horn…"

The Three men laid down their rifles and covered their ears because of the horn. But they watched in awe as the King of Rohan and his riders along with Aragorn charged to clear Helm's Deep. The Three men remained in the Citadel and watched from their vantage points how the enemies were taken by surprise by the attack. Then they saw that reinforcements had arrived and they charged on foot from a ridge and the enemy force were finally driven out of Helm's Deep into a strange looking forest.

"Now this is some unusual morning…"

Nikolai said as he yawned and safed his AK-47. He now looked for a place to lie down and sleep.


End file.
